Page 2 of Up to No Good
"Pleasure. My older brother is getting married, and I'm his best man," I explained.
George’s smile made his eyes crinkle at the edges as they met mine in the rearview mirror. "That's great, man! You and your brother must be really close."
“Yeah, we are,” I responded as I looked out at the darkening sky, thinking back. Things hadn't always been good between Jayce and me. When he'd started high school, things had begun to change. Having always been athletic, he’d easily earned a spot on the football team. That, combined with his good looks and outgoing personality, created the perfect cocktail that had all the guys wanting to hang out with him and had all the girls clamoring for a chance to date him.
With practices and games, pep rallies and parties, Jayce was hardly ever home, and when he was, he usually had a group of friends trailing along after him. If it hadn't been for the fact that we lived in the same house and had to share a bathroom, I probably would've never seen him. I was happy for him that he had made so many friends and was having such a good time, but at the same time, it hurt. I suddenly felt invisible, and I missed my brother.
Things only got worse when I entered high school. Jayce was a senior then, captain of the football and basketball teams, president of his class, and Homecoming King. I, on the other hand, was awkward and bookish and horribly shy; all traits that set me even further apart from my brother and made bridging the gap that had formed between us, seem impossible.
It wasn’t until Jayce was away at college that the two of us finally began to reconnect. He’d been attending North Carolina State University for a few years when he’d decided to reach out. I’d been shocked as hell when he’d called me out of the blue one day and invited me to come stay with him at his off-campus apartment for the weekend.
He’d seemed happy to see me when I’d arrived and was eager to give me a tour of the campus. He’d introduced me to several of his friends, and I had been surprised to see the pride on his face when he’d told them that I was getting ready to graduate at the top of my class. The more time I spent with him, the more I saw how happy he was—and not in that, we-just-won-the-state-championship-game kind of way I saw in high school. Instead, it was a truly content, comfortable-in-my-own-skin kind of way. It hadn’t been until that evening that I figured out the reason why.
Jayce took me to dinner at his favorite place; an authentic Mexican restaurant that was only about ten minutes from his apartment. We’d just been seated when a stunning blonde had walked in. She was tall and graceful, like a dancer, and had the kind of face that belonged on the covers of magazines.
Her face lit up, and I stared in shocked awe as she walked right over to us and kissed my brother. They smiled at one another, the look in their eyes making me wonder if they even remembered that there was anyone else in the room. I cleared my throat loudly, and they turned to look at me.
Jayce grinned broadly. “Cole, this is my girlfriend, Evelynn. Evelynn, my brother, Cole.”
Her smile was warm and friendly as she moved around the table and gave me a hug. “I’m so happy to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,” she’d gushed.
“You have?” I’d asked, turning a surprised look toward my brother.
Jayce gave me a sad smile, as if it bothered him that I even needed to ask. “Of course, she has. You’re my brother, and it’s important to me that she gets to know you. I haven’t even told Mom and Dad about her yet. I wanted you to be the first.”
Much to my horror, my eyes suddenly filled with tears, and I coughed into my hand, reaching with my other hand for my water glass and taking a long sip. When I looked back up, Evelynn was smiling softly at me as if she understood, and I wondered what all my brother had told her about me.
The rest of the evening had been amazing, with Evelynn and I getting to know each other and Jayce smiling with satisfaction as he’d watched the two of us. By the time we’d left the restaurant and had walked Evelynn to her car, I’d felt sure that I’d made a new friend, and hopeful that Jayce and I would be on our way to repairing our relationship. The two of us had stayed up talking the entire night, catching up on all the things we’d missed. Jayce had apologized for hurting me in high school, and the sincerity in his words had made it easy for me to forgive him.
Now, nearly five years later, Jayce and Evelynn were about to get married, and my brother and I were closer than ever. Rarely had a day gone by since that weekend, that we hadn’t either called or texted each other, and that went for Evelynn as well. She fit in with our family seamlessly, becoming a sister to me and a daughter to our parents.
I smiled at the sign announcing that we’d arrived in Vintage Ridge. I hadn’t been home for a visit in several months, but from the looks of things, not much had changed, a fact that brought me comfort and filled me with a sense of familiarity and belonging that I’d never been able to find in New York.
Happiness filled my chest as we pulled into my parents’ driveway. The glow of the colorful Christmas lights outlining the two-story house, the lit tree displayed in the front window, and the smoke billowing out of the chimney, all worked together to give the place a warm and cozy feeling. I grinned when I saw the electronic Christmas countdown set on the front porch, a gift to our Dad from both me and Jayce the year before. Only twenty-two days until Christmas and even less until Jayce’s wedding.
George parked next to Jayce’s SUV and then hopped out of the car to get my suitcase from the trunk. I thanked him and wished him a Merry Christmas, making a mental note to leave a generous tip for him on the app. Cold wind whipped around me as I climbed the steps to the front porch, but as I stepped inside, I was suddenly enveloped in warmth, the smell of my mom’s home cooking and the sounds of laughter coming from the kitchen.
“Hey! Did someone order a best man?” I hollered as I took my coat off and hung it in the entryway closet.
I chuckled as I heard a gasp and the scraping of chairs then the rush of feet as they all came out to greet me. We all took turns hugging and Mom kissed me on the cheek. I favored my mom’s sandy-blonde hair, bright green eyes, and slighter frame, while Jayce was a younger version of our father with his jet-black hair, gray eyes, and the same tall, broad-shouldered build that Dad had.
“I ordered a best man, but all I got was this mediocre one, so I guess you’ll have to do,” Jayce teased, reaching out to tousle my hair before I could stop him. I glared at him, but it carried no heat since I couldn’t stop grinning.
“Oh, hush. You can’t ask for a better man than Cole. In fact, I might just marry him instead,” Evelynn announced, looping her arm through mine and giving me a conspiring wink.
“Well, you’re not my usual type, but I think we could have fun together,” I agreed.
“Hey, now. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Jayce said with a pout.
Evelynn looked at me. “I don’t know. What do you think?”
I tilted my head, pretending to study my brother. “Well, he has nice hair and teeth. I’m not fully convinced he’s housebroken, but with a little work, I’m sure you can whip him into shape.”
“You little—” Jayce lunged for me and everyone laughed as I quickly ducked behind his fiancée.
Evelynn stopped him with a hand to his chest. “Easy there, killer. There will be no maiming of a member of the wedding party, got it?”
“Got it,” he agreed, his eyes softening as he gazed at her. He grinned as she placed a kiss on his cheek.
